What's cooking: Not only does Renée cook almost everything the family eats, she also grows the majority of the vegetables and herbs she uses. Bounty from her recently expanded garden includes everything from beets and carrots to celery and lettuce. “We had a forest of lettuce,” says Chuck of their winter garden.

The family switched to an almost entirely organic diet after Renée was diagnosed in 2009 with ulcerative colitis following a bout of food poisoning. She brews fermented drinks such as kefir, sweet potato fly and ginger beer to keep good bacteria in her intestinal tract.

Chuck is in charge of mixing drinks and grilling. “I purposely don't learn how to grill so I can manage the side dishes,” Renée says.

The couple entertain often, including Sunday dinners for extended family members who rotate to their house about once a month.

Most Popular

In this kitchen: Minor changes when they bought the Thousand Oaks-area house in 1991 “took (the kitchen) from the '70s to the '90s,” Renée says. A makeover in 2010 brought it into the 21st century.

The space: About 12 by 22 feet, including the breakfast area.

On the surfaces: Solarius granite replaced laminate counters. Golden accents in the granite complement honey-colored birdseye maple cabinets, original to the house. They replaced wallpaper with a travertine backsplash and painted walls Latte, a warm Sherwin-Williams neutral.

Refinishing the butcher-block top on the island brought it back “better than ever,” Renée says. Saltillo floors are original.

Why it works: At parties and family gatherings, guests gather around the island, which has stools along one side. From the working side of the island, Renée enjoys the view through an oversized window in the dining room to the backyard.

The space is efficient, with ample storage in two pantries. “I don't know that your kitchen can ever be big enough,” says Renée. Double ovens would eliminate the juggling of dishes between the oven, microwave and stovetop.

They supplement vegetables from their garden with produce from farmers markets, Sprouts Market and Whole Foods. Koch Ranches is their primary source for grass-fed beef, and they get free-range chicken and eggs from Hanson Family Farm in St. Hedwig.

Know of a good cook with a great kitchen? Email suggestions for Cooks & Cocinas to Home & Garden Editor Tracy Hobson Lehmann, tlehmann@express-news.net.